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Easy Choices by Terrance Heath, OurFuture.org | November 20, 2009
Whether the Stupak amendment ends up in the final health care reform bill or is replaced by the more moderate compromises in the Senate bill, both the passage of the amendment and the almost immediate response that women and pro-choice progressives should "take one for the team" hold a lesson and a warning for both progressives and Democrats. read more »Why I Support the Senate Health Care Reform Bill by Chris Bowers, openleft.com | November 20, 2009
Here is my blunt answer: 45,000 Americans die every year from lack of health insurance. The Senate bill reduces the number of people uninsured in this country by roughly two-thirds, thus potentially saving 30,000 lives a year. The House bill will reduce the number of uninsured by roughly 75%, thus potentially saving 36,000 lives a year. By no means does this solve the health care problems we face in America, but this is still a real achievement. read more »The Big Squander by Paul Krugman, The New York Times | November 20, 2009
Here’s the real tragedy of the botched bailout: Government officials, perhaps influenced by spending too much time with bankers, forgot that if you want to govern effectively you have retain the trust of the people. And by treating the financial industry — which got us into this mess in the first place — with kid gloves, they have squandered that trust. read more »Harry Reid and What Happened To the Public Option by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.blogspot.com | November 20, 2009
Our private, for-profit health insurance system, designed to fatten the profits of private health insurers and Big Pharma, is about to be turned over to ... our private, for-profit health care system. Except that now private health insurers and Big Pharma will be getting some 30 million additional customers, paid for by the rest of us. read more »A Leap Forward to Better Care by Peter R. Orszag, The Washington Post | November 20, 2009
The nation stands on the verge of achieving fundamental health-care reform. For the first time in history, the House of Representatives has enacted comprehensive health-reform legislation, and the Senate has begun its own debate. These bills will provide a bedrock sense of security and stability for Americans who have health insurance, and quality, affordable options for Americans without it. read more »Will Health Care Be Saved at the 11th Hour? by Michael Tomasky , The Guardian | November 20, 2009
Ahead of the Senate's first major test vote on health care reform, the Democrats who refuse to show their cards face a political paradox. read more »Senate Bill as Expected: Not as Progressive as House Bill in Key Areas by Monica Sanchez, OurFuture.org | November 19, 2009
Senator Harry Reid, the Majority Leader, has introduced the Senate's health reform bill. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), is projected to reduce the federal budget deficit by $130 billion in the first 10 years. So how does the final Senate bill stack up against the House bill in the categories I discussed in my previous post ("House Health Bill Should Be A Model For The Senate")? Pretty much as expected. read more »The GOP's No-Exit Strategy by E.J. Dionne, The Washington Post | November 19, 2009
Democrats in the Senate — the House is not the problem — need to have a long chat with themselves and decide whether they want to engage in an act of collective suicide. But it's also time to start paying attention to how Republicans, with Machiavellian brilliance, have hit upon what might be called the Beltway-at-Rush-Hour Strategy, aimed at snarling legislative traffic to a standstill so Democrats have no hope of reaching the next exit. read more »The Wrong Side of History by Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times | November 19, 2009
It's now broadly apparent that those who opposed Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965 were wrong in their fears and tried to obstruct a historical tide. This year, the fate of health care will come down to a handful of members of Congress, including Senators Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu. If they flinch and health reform fails, they'll be letting down their country at a crucial juncture. They'll be on the wrong side of history. read more »Repeal Health Care Reform in 2013? Not Gonna Happen by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly | November 18, 2009
For all the GOP bluster, I find it hard to believe even the most wild-eyed Republican seriously believes repealing health care reform — which they apparently concede will become law in some form or another — is a possibility. For one thing, if anyone thinks the year-long effort to pass reform was difficult, just imagine trying to un-pass it. read more »
The Latest
Hidden Costs of Medicare Advantage, The Washington Post | October 16, 2009
President Obama has proposed cutting more than $100 billion in subsidies over 10 years, a contentious component of health-care reform that will be fought in earnest as the bills move through Congress. But unlike some issues that touch off partisan sparring, Medicare Advantage has an unlikely band of bipartisan defenders who have already battled to restore $10 billion of the proposed reductions. read more »
Health Care Triumph Gives Way To Heightented Battle, Los Angeles Times | October 16, 2009
The battle over healthcare entered a new, more frenzied stage Wednesday, as lawmakers and powerful interest groups jockeyed for advantage now that most believe some form of an overhaul will ultimately be signed into law. The Senate Finance Committee's passage Tuesday of a sweeping healthcare bill -- with the support of all of its Democratic members, plus Republican Olympia J. read more »
White House Team Joins Talks on Health Care Bill , The New York Times | October 16, 2009
A delegation of senior White House officials met on Wednesday at the Capitol with the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and the chairmen of the Finance and health committees, as Democrats turned their full attention to merging competing versions of the comprehensive health care legislation. read more »
Swing Voters To Play Trump Cards In Senate Showdown, Los Angeles Times | October 16, 2009
With Republicans almost unanimously opposed to a healthcare overhaul and with 60 votes needed to thwart a threatened GOP filibuster, every Democrat and independent has become vital for Senate strategists. read more »
Democrats Address Their Own Rifts on Health Care, The New York Times | October 15, 2009
Article Publication Date:10/15/2009Deep fissures among Senate Democrats became evident on Thursday as lawmakers moved closer to a floor debate on legislation to remake the health care system. The divisions involved two issues: whether the government should sell health insurance, in competition with private insurers, and whether Congress should offset any of the cost of legislation to increase Medicare payments to doctors. read more »
Health Insurers Emerge as Obama's Top Foe, The Washington Post | October 14, 2009
Now they have an enemy. For months, President Obama and his administration waged their fight for a health-care overhaul without a clear opponent, even courting the industry executives and interest groups that helped kill reform efforts 15 years ago. read more »
Health Care Turns to Harry Reid, time.com | October 14, 2009
Now that the last of the five congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care, Max Baucus' Senate Finance Committee, has passed its much anticipated reform bill, it falls to majority leader Harry Reid to cobble together something that can pass the Senate. read more »
Poll Shows Democrats Lead On Issues, CNN | September 4, 2009
Despite the drop in President Obama's approval ratings, Republican policies are still not as popular as Democratic policies, according to a new national poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey indicates the GOP has gained some ground in polls in recent months, but Democrats still hold the advantage on key issues such as the economy and health care. read more »
Democrats Consider Setting "Trigger" for Public Option in Health Reform, Los Angeles Times | September 4, 2009
Looking to break the logjam on health care legislation, the White House and Democrats in the Senate are increasingly placing their hopes on the idea of a "trigger" that, if set off, would allow the government to offer health insurance to many Americans. read more »
Pelosi: No Public Option, No Bill, Politico | September 4, 2009
As the White House signals that it is willing to move forward on a health reform plan without a public option, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a strong message: not so fast. read more »
